om Munro Staton, on which to ride back to
camp. The steed was returned early in the morning.

"It's rather a wild-goose chase," said Dick, in talking matters over
with his brothers. "But I don't know of anything else to do. Mr. Staton
may catch Baxter quicker than a metropolitan detective could do the
job."

Three days passed, and during that time the boys received two telegrams
from home, stating they should do as they thought best in the Baxter
affair, and that a detective was on the way. Then the detective
appeared at the camp and followed Munro Staton on the hunt for the
missing criminal. But the search by both men proved useless, and
nothing more was seen of Arnold Baxter for the time being.

The cadets had arranged for a series of athletic contests, to come off
at the beginning of the following week. There was to be broad and high
jumping, and running, as well as throwing the hammer. All of the
students were interested, and for some time these contests formed the
total subject of conversation.

The cadets to enter for the various events, eight in number, were those
already introduced in these pages and a dozen or fifteen in addition,
all lively, wide-awake youths, each of whom looked as if he would do
his best to win.

In a manner not to be easily explained, the camp divided itself into
two factions, one led by Dick and Major Larry, and the other led by Lew
Flapp and Pender. To the former belonged the Rovers and their numerous
chums, and to the latter Rockley, Ben Hurdy, and boys of a similar
turn. Each crowd had one or more followers entered for every event and,
as before, numerous wagers were made as to which person and which crowd
would win.

Dick had entered for the high jump, Tom for the hammer throwing, and
Sam for a half mile race for cadets of his own class. The boys
practiced a good deal, although not always where the others could see
what they were doing.

The day for the contests was a perfect one and as news of the events
had traveled to Oakville and other places, quite a respectable crowd of
outsiders came to the camp to witness the affair.

"I hope you Rover boys win," said Alice Staton, who had come with her
twin sister and her mother in a buggy.

"Thank you," returned Dick politely. "We shall certainly do our best.
But you must remember that we have some first-class athletes at this
academy."

"Oh, I don't doubt it. All academies have them," put in Helen Staton.

The first event to c